The 2015 Spring Classics season is well underway and tonight we shift our attention to the Tour of Flanders (Ronde Van Vlaanderen), a 264.9 kilometre race through the west of Belgium. Join The Roar for live coverage from 9:15pm (AEDT).
Last year’s edition saw Fabian Cancellara (Trek) take out this monument, his only win for the 2014 season, ahead of Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Sep Vanmarcke (Lotto – Jumbo).
This year Cancellara has injured himself and will have to sit out the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix next weekend. Another key injury is Tom Boonen (Quickstep).
The race starts from the town of Bruges in the north west of Belgium before travelling south, where all the day’s action will be played out.
The riders will head past Kortrijk and then head into the hills and cobbled sections. The biggest thing about the Tour of Flanders is that many of the cobbled sections are uphill on rather large gradients. On this year’s Tour there will be 19 climbs instead of the 17 that greeted the riders last year.
The peloton continues to the east and have the finishing line right on their shoulders as they ride through the outskirts of Oudenaarde.
They then follow a circuit style of race out to Zottegem before turning around and riding a whole different series of hills south east. By this point the riders will have completed 210 kilometres and they will join a new circuit with a tighter loop near Ounenaarde. This will feature a total of seven climbs in just 41 kilometres, which will go a long way to deciding this year’s winner.
The Paterberg is the final climb on course, just 14 kilometres from the finish, and it will be climbed twice. The climb is short only a couple of hundred in metres in length but is cobbled and has an average gradient of 12.9 per cent.
The climb that will decide the race however is the Oude Kwaremont, which comes three kilometres before the final ascent of the Paterberg. This is a 2200-meter climb at an average gradient of 5 per cent. Normally that doesn’t sound hard, but put it on cobbles and watch it decide the race.
Looking at the start list for this year’s Tour and without Cancellara and Boonen we are in for one of the most open races recent times. Niki Terpstra (Quickstep), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Sep Vanmarcke (Lotto – Jumbo), Alexander Kristoff (Katusha), Heinrich Haussler (IAM), Geraint Thomas (Sky) and Peter Sagan (Saxoff) all have very good credentials on the cobbles and the teams to back them up.
However cobble classics are won by the leaders who stand up for themselves and know how to climb.
Other riders who could jump away and cause a surprise (think Johan Van Summeren at Paris–Roubaix in 2011) include Johan Vansummeren (AG2R) himself, Lars Boom (Astana), Sylvain Chavanel (IAM), Fillipo Pozatto (Lampre), Lars Bak and Jurgen Roelandts (both Lotto – Soudal), Francisco Ventoso (Movistar), Matthew Hayman (Orica), Sebastien Langeveld (Garmin), Bernard Eisel (Sky) and Edvald Boasan Hagen (MTN).
While these riders don’t have the same killer punch on the cobbles as the riders listed above, they are good enough to punch away on certain parts of the course, get into a breakaway, or catch a moment’s hesitation.
My tip would have to be Niki Terpstra. He has been building quite nicely and had a second placed finish at Gent–Wevelgem during the week, only losing out to a solo break away. His form seems good and with a solid team behind him, plus the confidence of winning Paris–Roubaix last year, I can’t go past him.
Either way, it promises to be another fascinating Tour of Flanders, so join The Roar for all the action in our live blog from 9:15pm (AEDT), and be sure to leave your comments and thoughts throughout the race.
Scott Pryde
Expert
UPDATE It would seem that both crashes involving cars last night involved the Shimano Neutral service vehicle. They have come out and apologised for what happened, which by any stretch of the imagination does not make it right. What an utter disgrace to have 2 crashes in a bike race involving cars, particularly the 1 in the breakaway. Out of that Jesse Sergent appears to have broken his collarbone in a crewel blow for him and Team Trek. In interviews after the race Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) said that he had the legs to win the Tour of Flanders last night and was surprised by Niki Terpstra's attack. The amount of efforthe put in and the speed he was riding with Sagan leaves me in no doubt he had the legs to win. VUELTA RIOJA In another one day classic held yesterday the Orica Green - Edge team of Australia dominated finishing with a 1,2. The youngster Caleb Ewan took out the win and South African Dayl Impey in second place.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks for that Shane, Yes Kristoff was awesome. Griepel was one of the true animaters of the race and it was a shame he wasn't there at the end. If Paris - Roubaix is anything like tonight we are in for a cracker!
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Excellent coverage Scott. Kristoff was mega in the final few kilometres. Was hoping Greipel could make it to the end to sprint for the win but he struggled to keep up. Bring on Paris Roubaix next week!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Well that wraps up the Roar's live coverage of the 2015 Tour of Flanders. Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage (for those still awake) and what a race it was! Next week our attention switches to one of the biggest monuments of the cycling season Paris - Roubaix. I will be back for that one so join me right here on the Roar next Sunday night from 8:00pm (AEST) for live coverage. In the meantime keep it tuned to the Roar for everything sport. Have a great Monday Public Holiday and I hope everyone had a great Easter! Goodnight!
Scott Pryde
Expert
TOUR DES FLANDERS (RONDE VAN VLAANDEREN) 2015 TOP 10 1. Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) 2. Niki Terpstra (Etixx - Quickstep) 3. Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) 4. Peter Sagan (Cannondale - Garmin) 5. Tiesj Benoot (Lotto - Soudal) 6. Lars Boom (Astana) 7. John Degenkold (Giant - Acapelin) 8. Jurgen Rolenandts (Lotto - Soudal) 9. Zdenek Stybar (Etixx - Quickstep) 10. Martin Elmiger (IAM) So no Sky in the top 10 after doing all the work and the big losers from the Tour Des Flanders. 2 riders from Lotto - Soudal in the top 10 and 2 from Etixx - Quickstep so apart from Katusha they are the 2 teams that were the big winners from the Tour Des Flanders
Scott Pryde
Expert
Full results in a minute.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Undoubtedly we have seen one of the best Tour Des Flanders in recent memory despite the absence of Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen. Team Sky controlled the race for the first 200km as 8 riders held the breakaway of the day. Eventually those with about 80 km to go and what seemed to be a lot of riders left in the peloton the attacks started coming and sure enough Team Sky decided they needed to control the race which steadily eroded the breakaway's lead. As we approached the last 60 km, in which there were 10 climbs a group formed which featured 12 riders, most of whom were very strong and Sky among with a few others had to really put the foot down to bring that group back. Then as the riders hit the last 5 or 6 climbs the attacks started coming thick and fast. The first major animater was a surprise in Andre Greipel but then Greg Van Avermaet was the man who was attacking left right and centre and ended up destroying the peoton. At the end of the day the race just simply wasn't ridden hard enough early by Team Sky to distance the likes of winner Alexander Kristoff and Peter Sagan, because when Niki Terpstra put in what proved to be the penultimate attack Alexander Kristoff was the only one able to go with him. Kristoff then once over all the climbs and with the 2 still together had to do a majority of the work because Terpstra not only would have doubted he could beat him in a sprint but as the final sprint showed had nothing left in the tank. Despite the best efforts of Greg Van Avermaet and Peter Sagan who broke away from the 3rd group Terpstra and Kristoff went to the line in the lead and Kristoff was never challenged by Terpstra in the final sprint.
Scott Pryde
Expert
How good was Kristoff there. Did most or all the work in the last 5 km and sprinted home to beat Terpstra. It was clear in the final sprint Terpstra had nothing left as he came out of the wheel and never even got close to the front.
Scott Pryde
Expert
WHAT A RACE
Scott Pryde
Expert
Van Avermaet 3rd and John Degenkolb wins the sprint for 4th place.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Van Avermaet and Sagan are coming. 400 meters to go and Van Avermaet is looking to turn it on and has distanced Sagan. Tersptra now hits out from behind Kristoff but Kristoff goes and he wins! ALEXANDER KRISTOFF WINS TOUR DES FLANDERS 2015
Scott Pryde
Expert
Terpstra is going to try and outsprint Kristoff here. 10 seconds is the gap. Here they come too! Wow.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Van Avermaet and Sagan seem to have lost a little bit of fight here. 15 seconds as they go under the final km.
Scott Pryde
Expert
1500 meters. Terpstra has been behind for 1500 meters now.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Terpstra hasn't had a turn in a km now. 2 to go, gap 15 seconds.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Gap is coming down here and the speed is right off at the front. Terpstra doesn't want a bar of the front now. Gap at 15 seconds. Lars Boom has been dropped from the 3rd group on the road.
Scott Pryde
Expert
3 km to go now and Terpstra takes another turn on the front. The gap is now down to just 17 seconds.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Van Avermaet and Sagan going incredibly hard and have pulled 3 seconds back. The gap could be less looking at the speed of the 2 groups here.
Scott Pryde
Expert
It would appear the third group are out of it. 40 seconds behind the lead group and they don't appear to be cooperating at all. Now Terpstra takes a turn but its a short one. 4 km to go now. Still 25 seconds.
Scott Pryde
Expert
5km and the gap is back out to 25 seconds. Terpstra does not want to go to the front now. An attack is coming. The question is when.